A research team in northern China has recently developed the world's strongest glass material, capable of leaving deep scratches on the surface of diamond with ease. The newly developed material, named AM-III, achieved a Vickers hardness score of 113 gigapascals (GPa). In comparison, natural diamonds usually score between 50 and 70, with some man-made pieces exceeding 100 GPa, according to the South China Morning Post, which was reviewed by Al-Arabiya.net.
While mass production may take years and the price is unlikely to be cheap, bulletproof shields made from AM-III could be 20 to 100 times stronger than some current mainstream products. Researchers stated that although the glass material does not appear as attractive as jewelry, it has wide applications in the high-tech industry.
The newly manufactured material has several advantages, the most important of which is its ability to conduct electricity as needed, making it a strong candidate for use in photovoltaic devices, including weapons that need to operate in harsh environments such as high pressure and high temperatures. Professor Tian Yongjun and his colleagues at the High Pressure Science Center at Yanshan University in Qinhuangdao, Hebei Province, stated in published research: "The emergence of this type of superhard, amorphous carbon material with semiconducting properties presents excellent candidates for more demanding practical applications."
There has been intense competition to create superhard materials worldwide, but AM-III was born from international collaboration, with scientists from Sweden, the United States, Germany, and Russia participating in the experiment in China.
